Machine Age / Art Deco Paint Compressor

[BobWarfield]

I recently came across these pictures while doing an unrelated search:

It's a little paint spray compressor, but I love the swoopy Art Deco styling. This period was called the Machine Age and sported such interesting mechanical behemoths as streamliner steam locomotives. I have a few pieces from the period in my house, some lamps to be precise. What's neat about them is they seem very contemporary despite being as old as they are, and they definitely appeal to mechanical aesthetics.

This marks the first time I've seen a piece that belonged in a shop, unless you want to count the Monarch 10EE as such.

I just love the look of this little guy!

Now can't you just imagine a set of castings like this so you could build a steam or IC engine with the swoopy look? Would be very neat!

Cheers,

BW

 

[Bogstandard]

This is the type of thing I like, utilitarian with a classic jet age look. Totally lacking nowadays, everthing is straight lines and basic looking. Just look at modern day lathes, hardly a curve on them.

You need the curves to fall in love with it and affectionately stroke it into working well. Tactile I think the word is.

No wonder we fall for women, the same sort of shape as an old lathe.

John

 

[mklotz]

No wonder we fall for women, the same sort of shape as an old lathe.

John

Damn, John, you've been at this WAAAAY too long.

 

[Alphawolf45]

I thought that was an antique outboard boat engine first glance at the pictures, I like that 'look' too..

 

[ChooChooMike]

Lots like an old cake mixer too

 

[Divided He ad]

Love the style of that! Johns right (well about the machinery anyway! ) if only they still cared about the look of things....

I do think it looks like a piece from the old black and white Flash Gordon series, spaceships etc ;D

I think more searches should be made... Logged and stored for future days when I don't know what to do!



Ralph.

 

[mklotz]

The proper name for this style is "Streamline Moderne". In art circles it's considered a derivative of "Art Deco". Google with those terms and you'll find some other lovely examples on the web, e.g.,

http://www.lepoix.de/html/machine_age_streamline/machine_age_streamline.html

 

[Cedge]

John
I'll agree with Marv... you really really need to get out of the shop a bit more. Promise us you'll keep your clothes on, regardless of how attractive the curves on your lathe strike you. There are some places swarf just doesn't belong...LOL

if only they still cared about the look of things.... Sad

D-H....
I see you've met my ex wife...(grin)

Steve

 

[Divided He ad]

I wanted to write something witty about this comment Steve, but I couldn't think of anything!! ???

Glad I made you grin though

D-H....
I see you've met my ex wife...(grin)

Steve

Thank you Marv, Googling as I type... well about to! ;D


Ralph.

 

[BobWarfield]

There is a voluptuous elegance and sophistication about these pieces that's hard to find elsewhere. They're from an era before CAD.

I love my CAD program, but it's only been relatively recently that it was easy to draw those flowing voluptuous designs on the computer. These Art Deco pieces were done with French curves on paper and lots of talent. You can trace some of the evolution of CAD by looking at the byproducts: things designed with CAD. Take the Ford Taurus, for example. We've owned a couple of examples and the car fashions got progressively "curvier" as CAD became more able to deal with it.

Much of this would not be so easy to make in the Home Shop. We'd have to develop our casting skills, or perhaps our freehand work with ball turners, metal spinning, and such. CNC holds a lot of promise for making such curves more accessible.

There are some designs that would be more straightforward for the Home Shop Machinist. For example, here are a pair of my art deco lamps on an art deco dresser from our master bedroom:

Nothing but good solid lathe and mill work there. The colored layers are bakelite and died wood. Wes and I have been chatting offline about Micarta, which is another interesting shopmade material by which you can add color. It's neat stuff that the knife-making fraternity uses a lot for nifty handles.

Glad you all were able to enjoy the little compressor. It brightened my day!

Cheers,

BW

 

[Bogstandard]

I think the lathe is safe, I am getting a divorce and buying a modern square one.

But I think all this straight sided stuff us due to mass production. A couple of datum faces and it can be clamped into exact position and machined very easily. Putting only curves on there means specialist jigging. It costs money!!

But if someone was to come up with machinery with a few more curves, I think it would be a winner.

Curves are good, until they get to the size of her indoors.

John

 

[malcolmt]

Hi John
As per our discussion :- If they get too large they're not getting enough exercise !!
Kind regards
Malcolm

 

[chuck foster]

if you want to see a "curvy" engine just look at nick rowlands castings. his website has alot of pop up crap
but his castings are great. we is a great guy to chat to as well.
this link should get you to his site http://rowland24.20megsfree.com/

i have a set of the casting to make the flame licker engine (someday they will get done)
his new 2 stroke engine look kinda wild.

chuck

 

[Bogstandard]

Chuck,

Those are real works of art. Many thanks for the links.

John